Wednesday, April 13
10:20 a.m.-l 1:50 a.m.
Session 2:
Trends in Beach Management
13
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U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
The Broader Context of Beach
Monitoring
John Wathen
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology, Standards
and Health Protection Division
Abstract
The Beach Monitoring and Advisory
Program is a public health protection measure,
supported under the Beaches Environmental
Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act
of 2000, designed to provide information on the
risk of illness from recreational water contact.
This is accomplished through periodic water
quality monitoring, issuing advisories and/
or beach closure notices, and communicating
the advisories to potential users of recreational
waters. In addition to providing time-relevant
water quality information about specific
beaches, not only is exposure risk reduced by
advisories, but states and local jurisdictions also
are undertaking measures to address sources
and improve water quality based on monitoring
information. The scope of the benefits of beach
monitoring go well beyond avoiding illness,
encompassing a range of beneficial outcomes
not readily anticipated from the straightforward
act of periodically determining water quality.
At beaches where sources are mitigated, water
quality is improved, public health is better
protected, and local jurisdictions are seeing
economic benefits that include increased beach
usage. This presentation points to locations
around the country where these improvements
have occurred and highlights the broader public
and economic benefits that can result from
improved conditions in waters adjacent to our
beaches.
Biosketch
John Wathen is a senior science advisor
for fish and beach programs in the Standards
and Health Protection Division of the
Office of Science and Technology in the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's)
Office of Water. He had served as assistant
chief and as acting chief of the Fish, Shellfish,
Beaches and Outreach Branch since coming to
EPA in 2005, until it was combined recently with
the National Standards Branch. Mr. Wathen
received his bachelor of arts degree in geology
from Northeastern University and his master
of science degree in earth sciences from the
University of New Hampshire. He worked as
a consulting hydrogeologist for 15 years, pri-
marily in northern New England; and served
as the southern Maine regional director of the
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
2000-2005. Mr. Wathen provides technical sup-
port to the Beach Environmental Assessment,
Communication, and Health (BEACH) Act
monitoring and advisory program, National
Fish Advisory Program, and Office of Water's
fish tissue contaminant studies, focusing on
human health implications. He is a Maine-
certified geologist and a registered geologist in
Kentucky.
14
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The Broader Context of Beach
Monitoring:
Considering health benefits, environmental,
recreational, and economic value
EPA Recreational Waters Conference
New Orleans, LA
April 15, 2016
John Wathen, U.S. EPA
SEPA
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this presentation are
those of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the views or policies of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Mention of trade names or commercial products
does not constitute endorsement or
recommendation for use.
&ERA
Beaches are good for us
¦ Beaches encourage families to be
physically active;
¦ Increase social and family interaction;
¦ Families engage with nature;
¦ Beaches are associated with fun and
stress relief.
Ashhullhy hI a!., P013. Hr.rilth rind PIhch ?.% 138-147
SEPA
Our session is
"Trends in Beach Management"
¦ The evolution of the Beach Program
describes a clear trend
¦ From elements described in the Beach Act
Of 2000- monitoring and assessment of coastal
rHtTHriliun writers adjacent It) liHrit.liHS i>r similrir
points of access that are used by the public for
attainment of applicable water quality standards
for pathogens and pathogen indicators; and "the
prompt notification of the public of any exceeding
of or likelihood of exceeding applicable water
quality standards"
• To an integral and dynamic element of the
Clean Water Act mechanism ~ pi
Beach Monitoring and Advisory Program
is a public health protection measure
>Provides information on the risk of
illness from recreational water
contact.
>Provides time-relevant water quality
information about specific beaches.
>Allows the recreating public to make
informed choices on where, when,
and whether to go to the beach.
c/EPA
We welcomed the Surgeon General's
on public health protection
Photo thanks to USPHS AEPA
15
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U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
We all know the Basic Paradigm
fP
Monitoring/
u
advisories
J J inform
Exposure riskX^^"
/ choice
avoided ff
Public swims
V
\ I in healthful
1J waters
&EPA
But wait... there's more
Water Quality
improves
Monitoring/
advisories inform
choices
\
J
Targets Remedial Action to
be planned and executed
Excccdanccs
indicate
sources of FIB
Sanitary
Surveys, source
tracking, locale
and
characterize
sources
AEPA
And that's not the end of it...
With Improving Water Quality
Fewer Advisories More Beach Use
~
More Beach Use Means Attractive Communities
More Visitors Property Values Increase
We're talking about a place that's better than it was
Enjoyment of Ihe Resource Connection Willi the Environment
v>EPA
These outcomes documented
>Beaches that have been mitigated have
improved water quality;
>Public health is better protected; and
>The towns/cities are seeing economic
benefits from higher beach attendance.
>Monitoring of waters adjacent to
beaches was the initiating event for
undertaking many measures to improve
water quality.
oEPA
Case in point:
North Beach -Racine,
> initially, BEACH Act monitoring resulted in
an average of 32 advisories per
season (2000 -2004)
> Sanitary surveys and expanded
monitoring identified pollution source and
led to remediation
> Advisories were reduced to an average of
5.5 per season 2005 -2015
> First site in USA to use qPCR for
BEACH Act closure decisions
c/EPA
Benefit to the Community
>Numberof daily beach visitors has
> increased 4-fold (2005 -2015)
>200,000 beach visits in 2015 (almost
3 times the population of Racine)
>$5,000,000 generated annually based
on beach visits, event-based
revenue, and improved housing stock
>Source of community pride
AEPA
16
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Day One: Session 2
See for yourself
North Beach - TODAY
¦
J Noith - ZOO2 J
Photos and data thanks to Julie Kinzelman
ocPA
Direct quote from Julie Kinzelman:
Monitoring is like preventative maintenance on your
car or routine health screenings. It helps
communities identify potential problems before
they are out of control, and the impacts to human
health and the environment are significant. This
important surveillance allows communities to take
car e of problems before the cost of remediation
becomes insurmountable. Like the old adage, an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
That's the same thing
the Surgeon General said !
M AEPA
There are plenty of other examples
of remediation in the Great Lakes
For more:
>See Sarah U'Ren's and Greg Kleinheinz's
presentations on Friday Morning!
(Plug)
It's all over the country-
in Boston, for instance...
ISImi
oEPA
SEPA
MWRACOMPLETES OVERFLOWTUNNEL IN SOUTH BOSTON
Beaches Will Be Among The Cleanest In The Country
% Days with elevated .FIB
CSO Tunnel
Placed
in Service
CSO abatement
projects- $42.4M in
FY2011
Photos and date trom MWRA
&EPA
Effects of the installation of porous pavement
adjacent to beaches in Provincetown, MA
with Section 319 grant funds
Bathing Bejch Closures'" • Commercial Street Phases I and II
Town of Provincetown. Massachusetts
Phsw
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17
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Maine Healthy Beaches -Source
Tracking and Remediation in Maine
> Beach WQ indicator exceedances from sources in
the Goosefare Brook watershed in Saco/Old Orchard
Beach;
> Identified Sources, eliminated them with sewer and
stormwater upgrades; and implemented an
> Integrated watershed management plan
> Many other beaches investigated and remediated
> More about their M.O. in Friday.
AEPA
U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
CA CLEAN BEACHES INITIATIVE
GRANT PROGRAM
>CBI Grant Program has provided about
$100 million from voter-approved
bonds
>Includes ~100 projects since it was
started under the 2001 Budget Act
>Arroyo Burro Beach, Colwell Beach,
Doheny Beach, Lovers Point Beach,
Topanga Beach MST studies
>Numerous implementation projects
underway <&EPA
Great Lakes Shoreline Cities Green
Infrastructure Grants-201^^^^
>Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
grants of up to $175K available for
Green Infrastructure Projects that
will improve water quality at beaches
> Plans based on needs from sanitary
surveys or WQ monitoring results
>No cost-share required for smaller
communities
SEPA
Economics Studies: Water Quality
Conditions under Future Scenarios
> Scenario 1: Improvement at 10% of
Lakes with Poor or Fair Clarity
> Scenario 2: Decline at 10% of Lakes
with Good Clarity.
> Scenario 3: Decline at 10% of Lakes
with Good and Fair Clarity.
oEPA
Potential Range of National Benefits to Property
... Values from Lake Water Clarity Changes
s™'
--
Scenario 2'
f
-
scenario j
|h
-20 -15 -10 -0 0 3 10 10 20
Lump-Sum Benefits (billions, S)
Notes: The figure shows the range of U.S. total discounted benefits estimated under
each scenario. The dashed gray lines represent a 95% confidence interval for
estimated national benefits. The solid lines represent a 00% confidence interval. The
shaded Oar area represents a 50% confidence Interval. The single heavy solid line In ^
the mtrirfle of the shaded hararea represents the average heneft estimate A
Wrap-up: What does Beach
Monitoring REALLY do?
> Monitoring/advisories inform choice.
> Exceedances indicate sources of FIB,
> Remedial actions target sources.
> Water quality then improves.
> There is more beach use.
> Communities are enhanced.
> Property values increase.
> More beach use increases our
connection with the Environment and
makes us healthier. &EPA
18
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Day One: Session 2
Anybody not get the picture?
Photo courtesy Richard Whitman
SERA
Thanks for your attention and for
coming to our EPA Recreational
Waters/Beaches Conference.
%ss ,
Any Questions?
Photo: Keri Kaczor MHB
¦
SEPA
19
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U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
Providing and Promoting Recreational Water
Quality Information through Mobile and Social
Technology
Trevor McProud
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Abstract
In an effort to understand and improve
the way New York City beachgoers receive
and react to water quality notifications, the
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Beach Program undertook a research effort in
2013 that included intercept surveys and focus
group testing. Interviews were conducted with
more than 575 members of the public. The
research found that most beachgoers receive
their information via television and Internet,
and that those methods, along with email, text
notification, and smartphone applications, were
the preferred alternatives for future communi-
cation. Those findings are similar to national
evaluations of U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency BEACH Act programs, highlighting a
gap of information delivery between the public
highly valuing text message and smartphone
applications and the department's current reli-
ance on signage and browser-based retrieval.
In response, the program developed a text-for-
information service that provides current beach
water quality conditions and, for subscribers,
active notification of beach-related announce-
ments. Through well-designed print and social
media campaigns, the Know Before You Go text
service now has over 5,000 active subscribers.
From the results of its research, the department
was able to identify ways in which it could
improve the Beach Program by more effectively
communicating the current status of recre-
ational water quality along with the potential
health impacts of recreating in those conditions.
Biosketch
Mr. Trevor McProud is a research scientist
with the Bureau of Environmental Sciences and
Engineering of the New York City Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene. He has worked
with the bureau's Recreational Waters and
Beach Program for more than 6 years. He
also is highly involved in the bureau's other
efforts to manage public health risks from
the built and natural environments, includ-
ing the Drinking Water Supply Oversight and
Surveillance Program. Mr. McProud received
his master's degree in environmental science
and engineering with a specialization in water
resources management from the Bren School of
Environmental Science and Management at the
University of California, Santa Barbara.
20
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Day One: Session 2
2016 EPA Recreational Waters Conference
Trends in Beach Management
Providing and Promoting
Recreational Water Quality Information
Through Mobile and Social Technology
Trevor McProud, MESM, New York City Department of Health
Overview - New York City Beaches
r
x:=;
Af
u 23 permitted beaches in
NYC
15 privately owned
8 run by the NYC
Department of Parks and
Recreation (DPR)
~ Average of 15 million
visitors to DPR beaches
Overview - NYC Beach Management
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Primary implementation of EPA BEACH Act and NY State Sanitary Code
New York City Health Code for Bathing Beaches
Routine Beach Water Quality Monitoring (DOHMH)
Bathing Season from Memorial Weekend to Labor Day
Weekly sampling from April to September, 24 hr. turn around
Approximately 1,Stin samples arp collerted during a typiral season
Weekly sampling for Tiers l and 11 beaches, Bl-weekly for Tier III
beaches and resampling as needed
Overview - NYC Wastewater Treatment and CSOs
~ Wet Weather and
Combined Sewer
Overflows (CSOs)
Pieditldblt: impdcl un
recreational water Quality
Precipitation model used
to issue preemptive
advisories
Overview - NYC Beach Notifications
Historical Number of Annual Notifications
An average of 378 total Closure and Advisory days across all beaches over the last
two years (3G3 private, 15 public)
Out of a total of approximately 2360 total beach days
Historical Notifications: On-site Signs, Call Service, Web Post:
NYC Beach Program Assessment Objectives
~ Protect public health
~ Improve the Beach Management Program
Provide useful, actionable information for
beachgoers
~ Evaluate the effectiveness of different water
quality notification methods
Assess the public's current understanding and
awareness of water quality issues
NVC
21
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U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
NYC Beach Program Assessment - Methods
Beachgoer Intercept Survey (N=557, Refusal Rate 57%)
Systematic cluster sampling ot beachgoers, > 18 years old
5 NYC public beaches from July 3rd to August 25th 2013
26 Open-ended quebliuub, 8 topical beUiuib
Beachgoer Focus Group (N=21)
2 sessions conducted by specialized firm
Participants selected to be demographically representative
+ visited a NYC beach within last 2 years
NYC Beach Program Assessment - Results
Demographics
ej Age and Gender
65% female
18 - 65+ years old, average of '16-61 years old
~ Education Level
5% Snmp nr Nn High Vhnnl,?1% High Vhnnl, 18% Snmp fnllpgP,
Undergraduate, 15% Graduate School
Beach Behavior & Notifications
56% did not check for any beach related information before going to the beach
79% have never seen notifications or any other signage posted at NYC public
beaches.
69% did not feel that that they had enough information to know if the water at New
Ynrk City piihlir hparhps was safp for swimming
NYC Beach Program Assessment - Results
Beach Information Sources
¦ Current Methods
¦ Preferred Methods
J ll ¦¦ _¦ -¦ —
JL.
/ / / / *
NYC Beach Program Assessment - Results
Question: Have yon ever seen a DOHMH sign or posting at a NYC BeaehV
¦ Dont know
¦ Yes
Mil
Rockawav Coney South Beach Orchard Manhattan
Beach
NYC Beach Program Assessment - Results
NYC Beach Program Assessment - Results
j Lack of information leads to misperceptions of what causes risk
from recreational water. Question: what causes water pollution?
"If It looks dirty, like a lot of seaweed", "sometimes people throw garbage
in the water", "Only when there's a storm"
Signage did not provide information
regarding the cause or risks of poor water
quality
"I don't think its dear enough"
"... If there was an explanation, like there [are]
bacteria in the water"
"Bathing is like laying on the beach and bathing
in the sun" "Bathing could mean cleaning"
"[Advisory is] n soft word" "Instpad nf Advisory
thp words 'warning' or 'dangpr'"
NO SWIMMING
or BATHING
IN EFFECT
22
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Day One: Session 2
NYC Beach Program Assessment - Results
A gap between current methods of providing
information and the public preferences/needs
J A need to develop program materials that
incorporated current, standardized designs
A need to develop useful, relevant methods of
providing information (mobile phones, digital
formats)
Conduct outreach through "non-traditional"
methods
NYC Beach Program Improvement - Signs
~ Visibility and clarity of notification signs through
universal colors and symbols
~ Preference and comprehension confirmed by focus
groups and surveys
NO SWIMMING
or BATHING
ADVISORY
NO SWIMMING
or BATH INC
IN EFFECT
NYC Beach Program Improvement - Signs
Clear Information about cause and
risk of water quality:
Water is contaminated with sewaoe or storm runoff, which may
vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory lltnosc or infections. Children, pre
women, the elderly and the chronically ill ore o» higher riak.
~ "Call to action" guidance for
beachgoers:
NYC Beach Program Improvement - Mobile
LI Provide easy access to information, "know before
you go"
~ Text'BEACH'to 877-877
'BEACH NAME* IS OPEN. ID
learn more about water
Quality samoliriE and the DOH
WARNING. jniYnlling and
wading at 'BtAthNAMt* is
NOT recommended at this
re info rare cause
"BtACH NAMfc* IS CLUitU.
By Order of the Health
Department, cwmming and
NYC Beach Program Improvement - Outreach
J Social Media Promotion — Based on demographics of
likely beachgoers
J Traditional advertising - Strategically Located near
Twitter Staten Island Ferry Terminal:
Facebook: n— r«B25aG2S5EE2
g. . _
NYC Beach Program Improvement - Success
~ Sustained rate of text service subscribers, over 5,250
Knov/-Before-You-Co Texting Service Active Subscribers
///////////////////////£- —
23
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NYC Beach Program Improvement - Success
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Coney Island Manhattan Rockaway ftchard Cedar Griwe Midland Beach South Beach Wolfe's Pond
NVC
NYC Beach Program Improvement - Future
~ Encourage texting service enrollment and utilization
Engage beach going public with safety messages and
promotion of City resources
~ Develop and plan texting service as at-the-ready tool
to reach localized/specified communities in urgent
water quality situations
NYC Beach Program Improvement
~ Thank you
J Acknowledgments
Christopher Boyd
• Li Huang, P.E
Amanda Levy, MS,MPH
Davida Judelson, MPH
Office of Public Health Engineering
Bureau of Environmental Science and Engineering
NYC Department of Health
24
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f*"!
Day One: Session 2
J
iL2a
Monitoring, Detection, and Management of
Hazardous Algal Blooms in Freshwater Lakes
East of San Francisco Bay
Matthew Graul
East Bay Regional Park District
Abstract
The East Bay Regional Park District main-
tains a diverse system of regional open space
parks and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa
counties east of San Francisco Bay The park
system comprises 120,000 acres in 65 parks. The
district operates and manages five freshwater
lakes to provide recreational swimming, boat-
ing, and fishing opportunities. Park resource
managers had never before seen hazardous
algal blooms (HABs) in their lakes, but in
2014 they recorded three. The blooms in Lake
Temescal in Oakland resulted in closure for
approximately 9 weeks over the summer and
fall of 2014. During 2015, the district experi-
enced HABs in four of its lakes. Each of those
lakes was closed to recreational swimming for
approximately 2Vi months due to the presence
of algal toxins.
In response to the recurring HABs, the dis-
trict has developed a comprehensive monitor-
ing, assessment, and notification plan in coop-
eration with San Francisco Bay Regional Water
Quality Control Board and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Region 9 staff. Additionally,
water quality managers from the park district
have partnered with local agencies and univer-
sities to conduct nutrient source analysis studies
and develop nutrient control strategies to reduce
bloom formation and persistence. The focus of
this presentation will be to discuss the recre-
ational impacts of HABs and the district's water
quality monitoring program to provide early
detection and public notification when hazard-
ous conditions exist. Additionally, updates on
the results of ongoing nutrient source analysis
studies will be presented and progress on the
development and implementation of nutrient
management programs will be discussed.
Biosketch
Mr. Matthew Graul is the chief of steward-
ship for the East Bay Regional Park District,
which is headquartered in Oakland, California.
The district operates 120,000 acres of open space
parks in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Mr. Graul holds a bachelor of science degree in
environmental engineering and has completed
graduate course work in geography, environ-
mental management, and fluvial geomorphol-
ogy. He has worked in the fields of natural
resource management, water quality protection,
and wetland and creek restoration for almost 20
years. He was employed by the San Francisco
Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board for
5 years in the Watershed Division reviewing
creek and wetland restoration plans, issuing
Clean Water Act permits, and developing and
implementing National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System stormwater regulations.
Mr. Graul's professional experience has been
focused on creek and wetland restoration,
beach water quality, stormwater management,
drinking water treatment, and environmen-
tal and regulatory compliance. In his current
position, he is responsible for overseeing the
natural resource management programs for
the East Bay Regional Park District and man-
ages the Wildlife, Wildland Vegetation, Water
Management, Fisheries Management, and
Integrated Pest Management departments.
25
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U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
Digging in: Understanding the Causes, Impacts,
and How Best to Address Excessive Seaweed
Accumulation on Maine's Coastal Beaches
Keri Kaczor
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Sea Grant
Abstract
Over the past 2 years, there's been a rise in
reports of increased amounts of cast seaweed
on Maine's coastal beaches. When mounds of
seaweed cover valued beaches during the state's
short summer season, important factors must
be considered when mapping the best course
of action: water quality, public health, aesthet-
ics, tourist economies, ecosystem health, and
laws that are meant to preserve the integrity
of these environments. Physical and biologi-
cal factors are causing the apparent increase,
yet the phenomenon is not well documented
or understood. Municipalities have been chal-
lenged by the aesthetics, impacts on water
quality, and how best to manage the mounds.
The public is generally outraged by the nega-
tive impacts on their beach experience and is
overwhelming municipalities with complaints.
Detached seaweed cast onto the beach warms
in the sun, allowing bacteria to persist and
even multiply in seaweed mats and neighbor-
ing sand. Water quality can be impaired when
the cast seaweed/sand is resuspended in the
water column. Management often requires
a multifaceted approach as simply raking or
waiting for the tides to wash the seaweed away
can be ineffective as it can return on the next
tidal cycle. There also are important site-specific
management considerations, for example, if the
area falls within a coastal sand dune system,
communities can move but not remove the sea-
weed from the system. The seaweed issue has
prompted research, legislation, and adaptive
beach management plans to better understand
and address the impacts of cast seaweed on
coastal beaches.
Biosketch
Ms. Keri Kaczor is the coordinator of the
Maine Healthy Beaches Program, an effort
to monitor water quality and protect public
health on Maine's coastal beaches. She received
her bachelor of science degree in zoology and
an environmental studies certificate from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her
master of science degree in marine policy from
the University of Maine (UMaine). Ms. Kaczor
is a member of the Marine Extension Team,
a collaboration between UMaine's Sea Grant
College Program and Cooperative Extension
that provides educational and applied research
programs in coastal community development,
ecosystem health, fisheries, aquaculture, and
tourism. For the past 13 years, Ms. Kaczor has
worked on environmental monitoring, science
literacy, and stewardship projects in Maine.
26
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Day One: Session 2
Digging in: understanding the causes,
impacts, and how best to address excessive
seaweed accumulation
;; or. me • es
U.S. EPA Recreational Waters
Conference
Keri Kaczor
UMaine Coop. Extension
/Maine Sea Grant •
MAINE
Healthy
BCcJCllCb
)
April 13,2916
Funding provided hv: U S FPA/Maine HFP
Healthy beaches are valuable
MAINE
1
Healthv
Beaches
• Coastal tourism/recreation-
$2.5 billion to Maine's gross
domestic product [i]
¦ York County-11.5 million+
visitors, contributing >$1.6
billion to local economies.[2l
Gary Curtis
[1] http: occqr cccfi am cg. org/Morl
-------
U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
Seacoaston line. com
Seaweed invasion poses challenges
~~nnraEJQE
MAINE
Healthv
Beaches
Posted Auo. 4. 2015 at 10:12 PM
"Tho first tocturo X got is how importan
are to our economy," said bumvan. "i I
H*»m Snmp ppnplp who rail rru> arc» hf
a week, arid II enth> up lu tie o week w
seaweed on Lono Sands Beach. What 1
~Courier Mviedia'1'
Soawood situation plagues boach
gj By Duke Harrington ond Molly Lovoll Kooloy
1 BIOQEFORO POOI — The suras of seaweed thai washed
week on the Boacn In Biaaafora Pool may not tx
i 090 Sunday (June iO) was fairly significant — 1 vxsnevw
that much seaweed left over after a storm — hut its not all
inprnnpriwilprl Wtagpl k/vtw wn*sh-np srftpr jir«l ahnil any
Unprecedented or not. the
cfolugo ocrtoiny ootcrod to tho attention
ADeiie saw siie posted on uie Faceoook page ot Mayoi Alan oasavam
MAINE
Healthv
Beaches
"I've been
here 35 years
and I've never
seen anything
like if
MAINE
1
s1
Healthy
http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/node/855
Maine Sea Grant
Search thte «tte:
Seaweea Accumulation on Maine's Coastal Beacnes
What's likely causing it?
Physical oceanographic
factors:
Wind direction
Spring tides
Neap tides
Surf
MAINE
1
What's likely causing it? MA"4tt
1-¦ ¦ ¦ . ::v„ .
Beaches
¦«
Biological factors:
¦ Warmer waters
' 4-
:
¦ Introduced species
• Excess nutrients
(pollution)
A. Leonard
Management
¦ System ecology
¦ Protective rules
¦ Legislation
* Beach cleaning
MAIN!
Healthy
Beaches
28
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Day One: Session 2
Management
York Parks & Recreation
MAINE
Healthy
Beaches
Management
Barber Surf Rake "Chicago Style" www.hbarber.com/
MAINE
1
Healthy
Beaches
Applied research opportunities MA^j|i 1
¦ The process of being
cast and warmed
matters
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and bacteria levels
are high.
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temporary issue
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York Parks 8 Recreation
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Healthy
Beaches
QUESTIONS?
%
29
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U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
The Changing Geographic Distribution of
Climate-Sensitive Pathogens in Recreational
Water
Jonathan Yoder
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) partners with state public
health agencies to monitor the occurrence and
geographic distribution of individual cases and
outbreaks of disease associated with coastal and
inland recreational water exposures, includ-
ing illnesses caused by pathogens that might
be affected by temperature increases or other
factors related to climate change. Historically
cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis
(PAM) caused by Naegleria fowleri were limited
to fresh water exposures in southern-tier states;
however, recent data suggest that there is an
increasing northward geographic distribution.
Since 2010, a total of five PAM cases have been
reported from three northern states (Kansas
[2011, 2014], Indiana [2012], and Minnesota
[2010, 2012]). Health data from CDC's Vibrio
surveillance system, as well as environmental
data sources, confirm that pathogenic Vibrio
species have become established further north
than historically observed, extending up to the
west coast of Alaska and the east coast of the
Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Successful public
health surveillance, prevention, and control
of diseases and outbreaks caused by climate-
sensitive waterborne pathogens will require
additional expertise, resources, and partner-
ships among beach management, epidemiology,
environmental health and health communica-
tion professionals. CDC is collaborating with
state and federal partners to support this work,
expanding its suite of online resources to include
pathogen-specific content (e.g., Naegleria web-
site), and building overall waterborne disease
and prevention capacity in the United States.
Biosketch
Jonathan S. Yoder, MSW, MPH is an epi-
demiologist and the acting branch chief for the
Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch in the
National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and
Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Mr. Yoder received his graduate degrees from
the University of South Florida. He joined CDC
as a Public Health Prevention Service fellow in
2003, and in 2004, was assigned to the Illinois
Department of Public Health to assist state and
local health departments with disease surveil-
lance and outbreak investigations. In 2006,
Mr. Yoder began coordinating CDC's Waterborne
Disease and Outbreak Surveillance System.
He has more than a decade of experience in
responding to waterborne disease outbreaks
and emergencies, including investigations and
response at local, state, and federal public health
agencies. He has participated in or led inves-
tigations of waterborne disease and outbreaks
associated with drinking water and recreational
water, including Cryptosporidium in pools,
Naegleria fowleri in tap water, and multistate
outbreaks of Acanthamoeba keratitis associated
with contact lens wear. Previous work includes
summarizing epidemiologic data on water-
borne disease outbreaks and pathogens such
as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and the free-living
amebae Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia, and Naegleria
fowleri. Currently, Mr. Yoder is the water pre-
paredness and response coordinator for CDC/
NCEZID, working to develop and coordinate
waterborne disease outbreak and response activ-
ities (e.g., developing resources and guidance for
state and local health departments).
30
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Day One: Session 2
Question & Answer Session
Question 1
Phil Scanlan: For Jonathan [Yoder]. People talk about a canary in a coalmine. I was looking at mass
marine kill-off.s in the U.S. and it seems it would be useful to analyze those deaths to get ahead of
human deaths. Is CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] or anyone looking at that? The
number of deaths seem high.
Answer 1
Jonathan Yoder: Yes, that is a good question; those are the species most impacted by that. We
should be investing and getting data from fish and wildlife services and from veterinarians,
and doing more testing. I welcome feedback from others on how to address these climate
change impacts.
Comment 1
Phil Scanlan: The first chapter of my book covers this.
Question 2
Sara Hisel-McCoy: For Trevor [McProud]. Do you have plans or have you done follow up on what's
the most effective, the most bang for the buck for communities, for their resources?
Answer 2
Trevor McProud: It is challenging to do it on top of our beach program, but we plan to do
more surveys. As far as what is the most effective—the texting platform is the cheapest out
of what we did. There is an online service that is cheap or free. Getting that service work-
ing is easy in terms of resources. Signs were helped by others, and they are shown in EPA's
National Beach Guidance document. We are willing to provide those or give help to others
for developing their signs.
Question 3
Suzanne Young: I am curious about the extended scope of secondary contact recreation throughout the
city where we know there are CSOs [combined sewer overflows], and working with others for protec-
tion and outreach.
Answer 3
Trevor McProud: We work with others in the city, and there will be a consent decree, which
is a long process, but the outcome will be more warnings and better outreach to the public.
Another outcome will be secondary recreation notification in the long term. We look at the
waters for events and such, but don't actively monitor them.
Question 4
(Unknown): Jonathan [Yoder], do you have restrictions on the boats or their movement in the lakes?
Answer 4
Jonathan Yoder: We have them for zebra mussels. If you have been in the lake already you can
come back without inspection of your boat, but if you are going into another lake you have
to get inspected.
Question 5
Michael Bott: HABs [harmful algal blooms] are an increasing issue for states. Why isn't this a focus for
monitoring?
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U.S. EPA's 2016 Recreational Waters Conference
Answer 5
John Wathen: We (EPA) have our eyes on HABs to some extent, but we are restricted some by
the BEACH [Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health] Act which focuses on
beach pollution. But as you can see at this conference, we are looking some at HABs and we
appreciate and agree with the need for more monitoring.
Question 6
Jiyoung Lee: We have HAB issues from agricultural sources. Spring precipitation brings it into the
lakes. Usually the toxic bloom is linked to nitrogen and not phosphorus. Where do you think the
blooms or sources come from in your waterbody?
Answer 6
Matthew Graul: We mostly think it's from the watersheds, like fertilizer. Also, some lakes
have not been dredged in 30 years and there are large nutrient loads in the bottom sedi-
ments. For us, it's mostly from phosphorus—typically in the fall season we see a spike in
phosphorus in the reservoirs. We also see a spike in nitrogen in rainy periods in October
and November. We have seen blooms that last all year, and that is confusing our thoughts on
what is driving it. We are looking at it. It's not directly correlated to flow anymore.
Question 7
(Unknown): Have you thought about remote sensing?
Answer 7
Matthew Graul: Yes, on a statewide level, but only applies to one of our lakes. We are also
looking at using drones on a small scale.
Question 8
Mark Sobsey: One of the re-emerging concerns from a public health standpoint is microbial resistant
bacteria. To what extent will we be able to look at exposure to those resistant type of bacteria?
Answer 8
Jonathan Yoder: We'll learn a lot more in the next few years. CDC has looked at microbial
resistant bacteria, but there are a lot of drivers to look at, other factors, such as what is the
impact to the community for antibiotic resistance? A lot of impact in terms of food and other
things.
Question 9
Lisa Larimer: For Trevor [McProud]. With your texting service, does it go out to all your subscribers
when a beach is closed?
Answer 9
Trevor McProud: We did not broadcast advisories the first year. It was an inquiry-based ser-
vice. But, the next year, we thought more about it, like the public health need or impact, and
how to best handle it. We have partnered with the parks department with high surf adviso-
ries. We don't think that sending out an advisory every single time is the right way to do it,
but there can be a balance.
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